Jan. 2018 Pioneers of Whole Health Applaud Veteran’s Administration Use of Whole Health and Whole Person Care as Model for Future VA Healthcare Delivery
National Institute of Whole Health Congratulates VA Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation
National Institute of Whole Health
“Our whole health model of care is a key component of the VA’s proposed future delivery system.” Dr. David Shulkin
WELLESLEY, MASS. (PRWEB) JANUARY 11, 2018
The National Institute of Whole Health (NIWH) congratulates the Veteran’s Administration Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation on embracing the visionary and innovative model of Whole Person Care to serve its members. NIWH celebrates the VA’s commitment to Whole Health as the intrinsically appropriate template for patient healthcare. This person-centered model addresses and serves the needs of the whole person, in contrast to symptom-based medical treatments. This represents a significant shift to the highest standards for providing care for one of our most valuable resources – our soldiers and veterans.
In 1977, NIWH began pioneering the development and research of Whole Health and Whole Person Healthcare™. Since 1980, NIWH has conducted studies at leading national hospitals and medical institutions to lay the foundation for a dynamic new model of healthcare. Today, NIWH is accredited by the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) to provide patient education training, is a Whole Health course content provider, and conducts on-going hospital-based research on both Whole Health Education® and advancing the practice of Whole Health. In the most recent Blue Cross Blue Shield-funded physician study, conducted by Michigan State University researchers, the NIWH model demonstrated a 27.5 – 35 % increase in both patient and physician satisfaction surveys.
Use of Whole Health and Whole Person Care as Model for Future VA Healthcare Delivery
Dr. David J. Shulkin, current Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in the March 17, 2016 publication of the New England Journal of Medicine, stated in his article “Beyond the VA Crisis – Becoming a High-Performance Network”, “Our whole health model of care is a key component of the VA’s proposed future delivery system. This model incorporates physical care with psychosocial care focused on the veteran’s personal health and life goals, aiming to provide personalized, proactive, patient-driven care through multidisciplinary teams of health professionals.”
The NIWH research has established the multiple aspects of Whole Health and whole person care, which are critical in addressing the Whole Person needs of each client. Dr. Georgianna Donadio, Director of NIWH, supports Dr. Shulkin’s assertion of multiple factors which are critical in addressing the causes and solutions for sustainable, self-directed health and wellness. NIWH is proud to be approved by the Department of Defense (DOD) to provide Whole Health trainings to over 3.5 million U.S. military spouses around the world.
Dr. Donadio states, “It has been a privilege to labor these many decades in the field of Whole Health. It is profoundly gratifying to witness and participate in the development and growth of this truly innovative model of care. Its many inter-related parts serve to address all aspects of an individual’s health and fully engage them in their own healing and health process.”
National Institute of Whole Health –
Since its inception in 1977, the National Institute of Whole Health (NIWH) has held a compelling vision for American health care. Today, 41 years later, that vision has become a reality in mainstream medicine with the inclusion of chronic care coordination, whole health patient education and wellness advocacy. The recently updated, multi-award-winning, #1 national bestselling book “Changing Behavior”, documents the development and research of Whole Health Education® at various Boston hospitals, which began in 1980. For more information, please visit http://www.niwh.org. Media Contact: Maureen Landry at 888-354-4325 or e-mail Maureen(at)niwh(dot)org.
The VA Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation (OPCC&CT) works with VA leadership and health care providers to transform VA’s health system from the traditional medical model, which focuses on treating specific issues, to a personalized, proactive, patient-driven model that promotes whole health for Veterans and their families. (https://www.va.gov/patientcenteredcare/)
